Letter-box.



N. M. CANNADY. LETTER 130x.

APPLIOATIO nnnnnnnn PT. 18, 1905.

91 0,355. Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

F E [MENTOR NATHANIEL M. OANNADY, OF FRANKLINTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

LETTER-BOX.

No. erases.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1999.

Application filed September 18, 1908. Serial No. 453,618.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL ii. CAN- NADY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Franklinton, in the county of Granville and State ofNorth Carolina, have invented certain new and useful improvements inLettenBoxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and-figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in boxesespecially adapted for use upon rural mail routes and comprises signaladapted to be actuated by the movement of the door of the box toindicate when mail has been placed in the box or has been previouslyinserted therein. to be collected by a carrier.

Another and important feature of the present invention consists in theconstruction of a box so arranged that a carrier in delivering the mailmay conveniently place the mail within the box without stopping. Asrural mail deiiverers have long distances to cover in their routes, thismatter of their having to stop when they come to a box, open the door,insert the mail and close it again is the means of a considerablehindrance and is obviated by the present invention.

The invention comprises various details of construction, combinationsand arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described andthen specifically defined in the appended claim..

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view longitudinally through a portion thereof, showing inelevation a signal moving member, and Fig. 3 is a cross sectional viewthrough the box.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Adesignates a receptacle which may be of any shape or size and providedpreferably with a convexed top A in order to shed water and protect thedevice and may be mounted upon any suitable object, such as a post B.One side, designated by letter C, is at an inclination and is providedwith an opening D normally closed by the door E which is hinged at E.Said door has a flange E about its marginal edge adapted to bear againstthe inner face of said inclined side of the box so that, when the dooris closed as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the outer face of the doorwill be flush with said inclined face of the box.

Mounted in suitable bearings F in the bottom of the box is a rock shaftH which is bent upon itself forming an upright portion H. Said shaftextends upward through an opening in one endwall of the box and has asignal flag K fastened thereto. Said signal flag when indicating assumesthe position shown in solid lines in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, inwhich it is vertically disposed with the portion H parallel therewith.When the signal is in a non-indicating position, it is adapted to assumethe position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

In operation, when the signal is not in an indicating position and it isdesired to throw it into an indicating position, it may be done bypushing in on the door E against which the portion H normally rests whenthe signal is not indicating. An inward pressure upon said door willcause the portion H and also the signal carrying standard to be thrownto an upright or vertical position, in which osition it will remainuntil returned to t e position shown in dotted lines. The signal isadapted to be set automatically by a person inserting mail in the box.For instance, if a carrier has mail to be delivered, he inserts it inthe box throwing the signal to an upright position. If a person wishesto insert mail into the box to be taken up by the carrier, it isaccomplished in the same manner.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that, by the provision of a boxwith signal apparatus as shown and described, a mechanism is aifordedwhich will operate automatically and will be water tight to protect themail within the box, the weight of the shaft, when in a tilted positionas shown in dotted lines, bearing against the door and serving tofurther assist gravity in holding the door closed.

What I claim to be new is A mail box having an inclined wall with anopening therein, a door mounted within the box and adapted to normallyclose said I ed upon an upright extension of said shaft, as opening, ashaft journaled in a bearing in the shown and described. 13 uppersurface of the bottom of the box, a a In testimony whereof I hereuntoaffix my portion of said shaft being bent upon itself signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

5 within the box and in the path of said door NATHANIEL M. CANNADY.

adjacent to one end thereof, said shaft pass- Witnesses: ing through theend wall of the box and A. L. HOUGH, having a bearing therein, and asignal mount- ADA R. FOW ER.

